Abstract: Sexual Assault by Men Who Commit Domestic Violence

A subject of crude jokes that were widely accepted until recently, domestic sexual assault is the new frontier of domestic violence research. In this presentation I will describe the limited research on the association of intimate partner sexual assault with risk factors such as age, jealousy, and psychopathy, focusing on work by Joseph Camilleri and his colleagues. I will then explore similar factors in a sample of men with a police record for physical domestic assault. Sexual jealousy and higher scores on the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) appear to increase the likelihood of men sexually assaulting their female domestic partner.

Dr. N. Zoe Hilton is Senior Research Scientist at The Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care (formerly the Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene) and adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Dr. Hilton holds an M.Phil. in Criminology from the University of Cambridge, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Toronto. Her research publications primarily concern domestic violence, risk assessment, and risk communication. She was the lead on the research team that developed the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA). Her applied research and collaborative work with policing services and community agencies have led to several awards, including the 2003 Ontario Women in Law Enforcement Teamwork Endeavours Award, the 2005 Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General Excelsior Award for Excellence in Teamwork, and the 2010 Canadian Psychological Association Criminal Justice Significant Contribution Award.